Break It Down
by Kanto the Slayer
Summary: The world you know, put in a more idyllic setting. And yet, the chaos is still there, waiting to eat them all. Rated M, because my mind will go there. All standard and non-standard pairings apply, and everyone will show up at least once.
1. Fate Sets the Stage

_Out of the night that covers me,_  
><em>Black as the Pit from pole to pole,<em>  
><em>I thank whatever gods may be<em>  
><em>For my unconquerable soul.<em>

_In the fell clutch of circumstance,_  
><em>I have not winced nor cried aloud.<em>  
><em>Under the bludgeonings of chance,<em>  
><em>My head is bloody, but unbowed.<em>

_Beyond this place of wrath and tears_  
><em>Looms but the Horror of the shade,<em>  
><em>And yet the menace of the years<em>  
><em>Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.<em>

_It matters not how strait the gate,_  
><em>How charged with punishments the scroll.<em>  
><em>I am the master of my fate:<em>  
><em>I am the captain of my soul.<em>

* * *

><p>As the rain poured down on the three of them, he promised himself he wouldn't cry.<p>

Even with his mother crying right next to him, little sister clinging to his arm, sobbing into his soaked denim jacket, he promised himself he wouldn't cry. It was his job to be stronger than that, his responsibility to take on the duties passed on to him. His face remained a blank mask even as he looked at the headstone, a lion with a pair of wings carved at the top.

He engraved that image into his mind, the symbol of his family. He had to be brave and unflinching, just like that lion. Merciless at times, perhaps, but to protect his pride, he would do anything; kill anyone he perceived a threat. Even as young as he was, he knew what that meant.

The boy looked back down at the headstone, bangs of brown hair wiped from his eyes.

_Here lies Laguna Loire. Soldier, Father, Hero. His sacrifice will never be forgotten._

Funny, all he wanted to do was forget, make him just another dead soldier in the field of dead soldiers that stretched out endlessly for miles on end. He wanted this to go away, to bury it along with the man six feet under his feet, but could only choke back his own tears.

He would _not_ cry. He refused.

He looked over at his sister, black hair matted with water, eyes already turning red from her grief. He ran his fingers along her head to try and smooth out her locks. "We gotta be strong from now on, okay?" He tried to smile for her. "That means no more crying, for either of us."

She looked up at him, her clothes ruined from all the rain, eyes still watery. "I-I can't help it!" A heart-wrenching sob. "He's our daddy and he's gone! They took him away!"

Squall nodded. "Yeah… they did." He looked toward his mother. "They did, and now we have to take care of her for him."

"No, you don't have to do that." The woman, her hair as brown as his and eyes as damaged as his sister's, wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I'll carry his weight. It's the least I can do for him and for all of us."

Squall's eyes widened. "Mom, you can't _do_ that! Let me take care of—"

She placed a hand on his head, giving him a watery smile. "Listen to me. I don't want to make you worry about me, or suffer for me." She knelt before him, the rain doing nothing to hide the tracks of her tears. "You have a life of your own, and so does she, and I want you both to be happy for me. It hurts, don't deny that it does, but it'll pass in time."

He frowned, eyes still filled with worry. Would it? Could this ever go away, this pain? The first time he heard about it, his heart almost stopped. Seeing it here though, he knew something was broken. He didn't know what, or where, but he knew it was important.

Seeing her eyes now, he knew something was broken in his mother as well.

He shook his head. "No. It has to be me. I'll never let you cry like that again."

He'd die before that happened.

And so, on the grave before him, he swore not to cry, not to flinch, not to break. He would be a lion or die trying.

_That_ name would do him no good now. So from now on, he'd force everyone he met, everyone at school, and anyone who dared cross him, to call him Squall Leonhart. If there were a way to change his name legally, he'd do it.

His father was dead. His name had to die with him.

* * *

><p>A pop beat shot out over the speakers as she flipped and tumbled around the studio, dark hair flying and whipping as she launched herself through the air. Her black and blue cheerleading uniform shone in the lights of the hardwood studio as she executed her routine, the one she'd be working at halftime.<p>

Some of the moves hit her hard, sure. The new choreography took time to perfect, more time than she would have liked. They'd used their routine from last year before putting the finishing touches on this one, but they were almost done. And as they said, she had the potential to do it the best, because she was their best dancer.

Of course, she just loved to dance. She usually ignored the crowd, the players, and everyone else, just blending with the music and the lyrics. It put a genuine smile on her face, different from the ones plastered on the others. She knew they were fake, even at this young age. They didn't put everything they had into it, while she… she could almost feel a part of her spirit merge with the beat.

It made her giddy every time it happened.

A knock on the door broke her train of thought and she spun toward the noise, wondering who would interrupt her and why. The knock sounded again, and she moved to pause the music. "Coming!"

She jogged toward the door and opened it, revealing her father with a gentle smile on his face. "You must've missed the time, honey. It's time for dinner already." He turned his back to her, making a show of rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. "But if you feel that way about us, I don't mind. Don't let me stop you."

She giggled and tried to make her way past him, only for him to block her every time she moved. "Stop it, daddy! I wanna eat!"

He grinned and turned toward her, scooping her into his arms. "Then let's get you settled, shall we?"

She laughed as she squirmed in his arms, the tall figure of her father making the world around her seem even more amazing from where he held her. Through the west wing of the house, they headed toward the main dining room, passing by the two grand staircases in the foyer on their way. His sock-clad feet made imprints on the carpet as they headed for the kitchen, and just through it, made their way toward the table, already set and loaded with piping hot food.

A woman with dark-brown hair turned her head to regard the two of them with a smile in her eyes. "Well, look at that! She's finally come out of her cave to join us!"

The girl giggled again as her father put her down, just in front of her seat, the one next to his. He sneaked bits of his food to her time and again, and she didn't hesitate to nibble on them when mommy wasn't looking. Not as if she didn't love her, she was just a growing girl, like her daddy said. Besides, it was always funny when he got caught.

"Now honey," the woman said with a mock pout on her face, "I know you need to eat, but there's something wrong with sharing from daddy's plate…" She gave him a very real glare. "…Something _very_ wrong, because it's teaching her the wrong thing. And I don't wanna see any more of it, you got me?"

He raised his hands as if trying to block her words. "I promise to behave this time, Julia."

The scowl turned into a smile. "I hope so, or there will be consequences." With that, she started eating from her plate, not noticing the look that passed between her husband and her daughter.

The girl gave him her best, whitest smile. They'd share anyway. She knew it. It always happened, no matter how often mommy threatened him, because she always gave him that one look that he couldn't help but cave in to. She was enough of a smarty-smart to know how to look at someone just the right way. She promised she wouldn't tell mommy under her breath, and he smiled back at her.

Mommy didn't catch them that night.

She went back to the studio after she excused herself from the table and putting her dishes away, not even stopping for dessert. To her, this was only a break, a rest from her real work, work that she loved. Break time was over now. She had to finish this before the next game. She couldn't afford to waste any more time.

The music started again and she counted the beats in her head before starting the routine all over again. This time she closed her eyes while she did the steps, trying to let the music invade her like it did out on the field, letting her body move instead of trying to remember everything.

She zoned out within seconds.

After the three-minute track ended, she opened her eyes, having landed in a front split from a front layout, her face flushed with exertion and a grin plastered to it. She screamed, the thrill of finishing the routine without a single stumble rushing through her voice box.

She went to bed with visions of the routine, full and complete, with the other girls, in front of a packed house, dancing in her head.

The door to her room closed without a sound, her father giving a chuckle as he walked away from her room. "Good night, Rinoa, my Angel."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1: <strong>_**Prologue 1 – Fate Sets the Stage**_

What, you think I'm just going to give you everything? No, I'm not!

Anyways. This is something to get my mind-fires stoked for LionHearts. Thus, this fic will have the same amount of detail; the same amount of love and respect put into it, but will be in an alternate time-line, universe, and setting in the same world. Battles, yes. Death, maybe. Mercenary academies, sorceresses planning to take over the world, theories on who Rinoa really is, and time travel? No, no, and no.

This _is_ Final Fantasy VIII though. It's there in its entire spectacle, but without the magic, without the glory, without the drama that any world-spanning war would bring. This admittedly short first chapter is a taste of that, due to me giving Squall a family, having Rinoa's parents both there, and other things that I will invariably pull out of thin air in order to create this world.

Not to be too harsh, but if all this concerns you deeply, stop reading here. Because now that I've started, I can't stop.

On that note, please review. I mean, seriously. I put a lot of work into this. It took me a good… three hours to put this together, listening to music all the while, looking for that one perfect poem to start it all off, and creating scenes in my head. Review it.

Full fic, minus these author's notes is 1.6k, give or take. Future chapters may or may not be this bite-sized, so don't take this as a standard.

Anyways, I'm gonna see how many more of these I can plunk down before I inevitably pass out. Wish me luck!

_This is your Slayer._


	2. Unity

_This town is so eerie when it snows,  
><em>_All the trees look like ghosts appearing from the road  
><em>_The crows flew south of Heaven and found the elixir  
><em>_The echo of silence whispers from the mouth of the river to say:_

"_Yeah this city could be great one day,  
><em>_But the first step is getting out of our own way."  
><em>_I've been to bigger cities; they produce bigger frowns  
><em>_I'll die, right here, in this town_

_And I know, there's something beautiful within my grasp  
><em>_And I know, I think I'm satisfied but it won't last  
><em>_And I know, to lace my boots up and pick my path  
><em>_I'll find another rain storm to fill my glass_

-Mac Lethal, "Sun Storm"

* * *

><p>I grew up on these cobblestone streets. It wasn't like there was anywhere else to go, but it was home. A place where everyone knew everyone, y'know? Even when I was little, just a scrapper, I felt like these were my streets, and everyone else I rolled with thought so too. Yeah, I wasn't poor, but my ma and dad struggled to get through the day. My clothes were clean though, and my meals were hot, so it was a good life.<p>

Next door to me was this cute little brown-haired girl, Selphie. Damn, she flew all over the place, like there was enough juice in her to power half of Dollet on her own. She was always like, the community organizer. She was good at getting the other kids together to do her silly shit, and they did it with smiles on their faces.

Don't laugh, but I joined in. Hey, I was a kid back then, and it was fun.

School was… school. I mean, we learned shit we'd never use until later in life, but for a while, it was great. I mean, everything's new, and anything new is fun. Teachers knew how to switch things up back then, not like now. Now it's all about keeping everyone in line, making sure no one beats the piss out of each other.

What fun is that? I'm trained in martial arts, I love a good scrap!

But it never happened back then, because we wanted to be something someday. Something important to somebody, like our parents or whatever, and that meant no fights. Yeah, some selfish bastards thought they were better than anyone else was because they were smarter, or taller, or had more money. Arguments flew around, insults too. But no fights, because having one would let our teacher down, and we all loved Ms. Edea.

Edea Kramer. She always wore this black dress. Don't ask me why. It was like she mourned someone all the time. That smile said different though, and when she put it on display, we all had no choice but to follow suit, because it was that infectious. I can't even begin to explain that, but there it is. Some of the kids thought she was magic, that she had some kind of spell over us to make us good kids.

I can't debate that one way or the other, but we definitely respected her.

Recess was real interesting, because no one played around or anything. I mean, it happened sometimes, but most of the time we asked Selphie to dance. No one knew what to call it back then but awesome, but now that I know about it, it's pretty damn amazing. Selphie knew how to pop, lock, and do some crazy warps. I think she even did some house moves once, but I can't remember when.

I asked her to teach me how, and she was like, 'you wouldn't like it, it takes too long' at first. But I was my usual obnoxious self, and she taught me. Soon, the two of us rocked it out every time we were outside. Sure made me come over more often, just to practice. I started to have a little thing for her, but it didn't go anywhere. I mean, just imagine how awkward me going over would have been if I told her!

My thing? Well, my thing wasn't anything special, at least not if you ask me. I was into music. Still am, if you want me to be honest. I mean, I always had some kind of beat going on in my head, especially back then. I always beat boxed for Selphie when no one brought a radio. Hey, even when you're little, you can still do some serious shit with that.

But I wanted to do something more with it, not just spit. I wanted to make music, not just play around with it. Selphie made up all these new moves, went into tutting and stuff like that, but I just wanted to find a new beat. I listened to the radio every time I came back home, because there wasn't really anything on TV and nothing else to do besides homework.

She taught me her new stuff eventually, and I put down a few new beats I came up with. She just played around with it, but I took it serious.

Apparently, she took it a bit more serious than I thought, because she dragged me and a few other guys in town together for this talent show, just a little thing the school put together. This time we actually had a track to back us, so the pressure was on to do our best.

Zone was a badass. I don't know when, but he learned how to break like nobody's business. You ask him to do any trick, and he could do it blindfolded. I even dared him to do it once, and my jaw went unhinged when he actually pulled it off. He could even lock a bit like Selphie. The thing he had trouble with was popping, and we straightened him up quick on that.

Watts was the freakiest guy I ever met. He could do isolations like no one else his age. Always sported a pair of shades when he danced so no one could see his eyes. Kept his face perfectly still when he danced. The kid was a machine, and we figured we could all learn a thing or two from him, so we asked him to teach us.

I could never do it right, not like Selphie. She just seemed to take whatever she saw and work with it.

We found out later she was a genius.

No, not just in dancing. I mean in IQ. Ditzy as hell, a ball of energy that could set off fireworks on her own if she wanted, and her brain was bigger than all of ours combined. I mean, it came as a shock back then, but looking at it now it makes sense. All those smarts and all she wanted to do was dance, and play around, and have fun.

So we ignored her big brain and just had fun with her, and it was cool, because she always thought of something new. Me, I couldn't think of much besides the next new song that caught my interest. That, and whenever we practiced for the big show.

Don't ask if we won, you should know the answer.

From that day, you couldn't pry the four of us apart with a crow bar. Same middle school, same high school, same classes. I think that last one was a mistake though, because I bombed my math classes while she kicked ass in 'em. I barely passed by the skin of my teeth, but managed to get high enough to be considered for a few good scholarships.

There was no question where the four of us were going once Selphie decided.

One of the best schools anywhere on the planet was Galbadia University. It wasn't that far away, just a few hours' train ride from home, barring a transfer at Timber Grand Station. Our small town sure as hell didn't have a major university, that was for sure, so it was the only way out for me.

Hey, when you live in a place for your whole life and find out there's a bigger world out there, you get tired of the confined quarters. I wanted to make sure that I never came back to Dollet again, and I told everyone else how I felt. Sure, ma wasn't too happy about that. But Selphie, Zone, and Watts? They were in for the long haul. Felt nice to be the decision maker for once, instead of her.

So here I am, waiting for the train to Galbadia from Timber, with this funky-ass blue and red jacket with jean shorts and a pair of sneaks, Selphie next to me in a yellow dress with suspender button straps and a pair of calf-high boots. Watts is to my left, his shades on as usual, jeans and a denim jacket with a black shirt, some logo from a band I haven't even heard of on it. Zone is chatting it up next to Selphie with his beanie on, a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans on. Same shoes as Watts, down to the color. What, do they do their shopping together or something?

Never mind. I'll ask on the ride, just to piss 'em off. I sit back and wait for the big engine to roll through, nervous, excited, and stoked as hell, my t-board at my feet. We're gonna go to that school and rock it to the ends. Damn place will never be the same when we're done!

I swear, before this is over, everyone's gonna remember my name – Zell Dincht!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: <em>Prologue 2 – Unity<em>**

Yeah, two in one day! I _love_ my job, really I do. It has some sense of merit to do things this fast for once. It appears my mission in getting the brain-juices flowing is a success! But don't think it's over yet, I'm not nearly done here. Like I said before, now that it's started, I will see it to its conclusion, no matter how long it takes.

I decided to do this one in first person because I like changing themes up now and then. This is the only time you'll see this style though, as most of it will be in third person limited, whenever possible, which should be most of the time. Just wanted to do something different for now.

These little shorts won't last much longer; I'll see to it that the chapters become infinitely more detailed as things progress. For now, enjoy this next little tidbit in how I'm making sweeping changes! All the while, I hope to keep the flavor of the series itself intact, if you get my meaning.

_This is your Slayer._


	3. Prodigies

_When nature has work to be done, she creates a genius to do it._

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

_Prodigy is exceptional talent, most of which we confine to the faculties of the mind. But what of the other talents that are ignored? I say with certainty, that for all the myriad things a mortal can do, there is a specialist, a refined expert from a young age, in most, if not all of them. We simply have not found them all._

-Unattributed

* * *

><p>"Mrs. Trepe… we have something to tell you. And before we begin, let me tell you that it's not bad news."<p>

The man in white robes with green trim looked toward the blonde sitting before him, four feet tall, her bright blue eyes staring back at him, expression full of curiosity. He ran a hand through his sandy brown hair, wondering how they'd missed her. He looked back up at her parents, their faces expectant, anxious to hear what he had to say.

"First of all," he said after clearing his throat, "Your daughter is an extremely sweet-natured child. I've never seen someone so cooperative and obedient before, and she certainly knows how to make friends. Just on her first day here, she connected with many in her class, which astounds me to no end." He gave them a smile. "What's more, she has a remarkable capacity for learning and retaining information. We're not just talking about one specific type, either. Give her any subject, and she will take it to heart faster than most."

He sighed, his face filled with resignation. This was the hard part. "That's why we can't have her in this school anymore. She'll accelerate too quickly."

The mother gasped, shocked that he would just pull her out. "This is absurd! We can't just _move_ her, that would slow the progress she's already made! And she'd have to acclimatize to a new school, and we'd have to pay for it all, and—"

"Calm down, dear." The husband put a hand on her right shoulder, giving her a squeeze. "I'm sure there's a way to resolve this…" He gave the man behind the desk a stern look, blue eyes turning cold. "…And it'd better be good."

The girl looked around, confused instead of curious. She had no idea what they were talking about, but she certainly didn't want to leave. "Momma, what's going on?"

The man smiled at her. "I'll try to explain as best I can, Quistis, but let me talk with your parents first." He looked toward them again, giving them a calculating expression. "What if I told you that there is a government-funded program that would get her into a specific academy tailored for children like her? You wouldn't have to pay a single gil for it; it's all on their tab."

He smiled as that got them to thinking. If he had anything to say about it, she would be marvelous. "Before you decide, let me throw this in. If she passes through the high-school level, she'll have her pick of any college she wants, whether within Esthar or elsewhere. Of course, I'm confident she'll want to stay in Esthar, we have the best universities in the world."

It wasn't long before they made their decision, and the school supervisor asked them to leave so he could speak to the girl whose eyes seemed to start watering over. As he feared, she began to understand just what they were saying. He sighed as soon as the door closed.

"How do you feel about all this?"

She shook her head, eyes hidden by her bangs. "I hate it! My friends are gonna miss me so much, and I won't have anyone to play with, and…"

He smiled and placed a hand on her head. "How do you know that? I'm sure there will be someone new you can play with and make friends with. But you have to leave here now, okay?" He wouldn't explain that she was too smart for everyone else, as true as that was. She needed to learn with students of her caliber though… as painful as this was for him, personally. He'd come to love her curiousity.

He tilted her head up to look at him. "Listen to me… of all the things I want you to keep, it's that look you get when you find something new and interesting. I'm sure if others see that, they'll be just as happy as you are. Don't ever lose your personality either, because that is what makes you special."

She sniffed even as she nodded at his advice. It was the least he could do for her, after breaking her heart so. He patted her head and sent her out of the office.

His robes felt heavy once the doors closed, as if fate added a burden to his shoulders. If this failed, it would be on him. If she didn't like her new environment, it would be because he sent her there, got her parents to agree. But if it succeeded…

He let himself smile at the possibilities. She would be the most brilliant mind the country had ever raised. And that, in part, would be due to this decision.

He prayed it was the right one.

* * *

><p>Esthar. The second most powerful nation in the world, next to Galbadia and its affluence.<p>

It was a nation of vast technological advancements born out of a thirst for knowledge. The brightest minds gathered here from all over to share theories, conduct experiments, argue their points. Their military was equipped with the latest results from field tested weapons and biological enhancements. They bolstered their economy with their medical achievements and engineering marvels.

The best education system in all the land resided within the confines of the massive city limits, producing the next generation of bright minds that would further shape the world.

One such school was meant for the elite, the top-shelf from a young age. Not due to simple circumstance or chance, but potential. This was an academy for the prodigies, the geniuses, those that had the rarest gems of sparkling talent and the drive to use it. It was a sterile enclave to rear up the greatest thinkers.

And Quistis Trepe, eight years old, did not like it one bit.

No one spoke with her between classes. No one seemed to speak with anyone else, either. It was boring, and scary. Every day she came in was another day she wanted to get out. But the classes, the teachers, _they_ were interesting. The curiosity bug bit her every time she heard something she'd never known before, never even thought of, and she asked questions as if there weren't enough questions to ask.

After all, that was the only way to know, right?

Through it all, she kept her promise to her former principal. She didn't let the situation dampen her spirits, though they definitely tried as the days turned routine. He said it would pay off, draw kids to her, if she just kept smiling and being nice.

Apparently, he knew what he was talking about.

"Hey, can I sit here?"

She looked up from her food to find a dark-haired girl with brown eyes staring back at her, lunch tray in her hands, the white Estharian clothing with blue trim, and a smile that lit up her features. Quistis smiled back, glad that someone was actually talking to her for the first time in months.

The girl took the grin as her cue to sit down next to the blonde. "Hey… don't you think this place is weird? I mean, it's too quiet here."

Quistis nodded. "I came from another school where it was all noisy and fun," she whispered. "I don't think anyone _wants_ to play or anything. It's like they're zombies or something."

The black-haired girl nodded, scooting closer to the other girl at the table. "My name's Xu."

"Quistis."

Xu looked up from her tray. "That's a weird name… what did kids at your other school call you?"

Quistis blushed as the nickname came back to her, as if they'd called her that yesterday. "…Quisty." She shook her head, trying to ward the memory off. "It's silly, right?"

Xu beamed at her. "Yeah, it's really silly. That's why I like it!"

For the rest of the day, nothing else happened. But after school, Xu sat next to her on the tram that led away from the academy and gave her another toothy grin before continuing their conversation from lunch. Tired from the day's lessons, Quistis only heard half of what Xu was saying. Still, just listening to her speak instead of staying quiet… Quistis felt part of her loneliness and isolation chip away.

* * *

><p>"So what's your specialty?"<p>

Quistis looked toward Xu as they ate lunch at the same table, again. They'd even picked it as their designated place to meet up every day, seeing as they'd been doing so for the past week. "What do you mean, my specialty?"

Xu leaned closer toward her. "It's what you're best at. Everyone's got a specialty; some people have more than one. Mine's numbers."

Quistis lowered her head for a moment, giving the question some serious thought. What _was_ she good at? Did she stand out in any one thing she did? Her brows furrowed as she tried to put more of her mind to the problem of what exactly her specialty was.

"It's okay if you don't have one."

Her eyes widened as she turned toward Xu, a knowing smile on the dark-haired girl's face. Did she just…

"No, I can't read your mind. Just that the chances of you not having one went up every second you didn't answer the question." Xu giggled and took a bite from her lunch plate before speaking again. "If you don't have one, this is a pretty good place to find one. You might even find out you're good at everything!"

Quistis gave Xu a blank-faced stare. "_No one_ can be good at everything."

"I dunno about that." Xu took a sip from her apple juice. "My brother sure thinks he is."

Quistis's smile returned. "You have a brother? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Xu scoffed. "Because he's a brat, and he makes fun of me. You won't like him at all." She looked over her right shoulder. "I bet he's looking for me right now, trying to get me to sit with him again."

Quistis shrugged. "So let him come over. I wanna talk to more kids than just you." She broke in before Xu could get another word in edgewise. "Not like I don't like talking to you, but there's gotta be others that don't just sit there and chew their food like there's no one else but them."

Xu sighed. "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you." She put her hands to her mouth and yelled, "Hey Nida! I'm over here!"

* * *

><p>"So, Miss Class President, how's it feel to be the most powerful woman in school?"<p>

Fourteen year old Quistis scoffed at the title Xu constantly gave her, refusing to believe it really meant anything. "It means I have _more_ to do, which is the last thing I need. Everyone's gonna come to me with every little problem they have, and it's gonna interfere with my studies."

Xu glanced over at Quistis as she railed on about all the new problems she'd run into. "Come on, it can't be that bad."

"Actually, it is."

They both stopped and turned toward a black-haired boy, a whole head taller than them and wearing the academy's high-school uniform. He stopped a few feet away from them, hands folded in front of his chest. "You're right about everyone wanting to come to you in order to settle disputes and crap like that. But you're also in charge of putting everyone's ideas to the Student Council in the best manner possible. On top of that, you have to lead cabinet meetings, keep everyone else in line…"

Quistis groaned. "Way to reassure me, Nida."

He gave the both of them a cocksure grin. "Wasn't meant to reassure you." He closed the gap and ruffled Quistis's hair. "Look on the bright side, though. You pull all that off, and you will be unquestionably the queen of the 8th grade. Loved, respected, genuinely admired."

Xu scowled at him, hands on her hips. "Did _you_ pull it off?"

Nida stood silent for a few seconds, the words robbed of him. Then he smirked. "No. But that doesn't matter. It's on my record, and that counts more. I didn't care for the job, I'm glad someone else took it from me the year after." He walked on, waving over his right shoulder. "Hope you're ready for some major torture, Trepe!"

Quistis straightened out her hair, glowering at his back from under her eyebrows. "I'll show him," she muttered. "I'll be the best Class President ever."

Xu smirked. "_Just_ to show him, or to be _popular_?"

Quistis couldn't answer that question. The anger still boiled. Lazybones took his job for granted, passed it off on someone else. She wouldn't, no matter how hard it was. Quistis went to this quiet, self-contained prison of a school for a reason, maybe one that she didn't know or care about years ago.

Maybe this was the reason… to change how the school worked. To give it life.

Xu went quiet at the sudden determination on her friend's face. "You really are taking this seriously, huh?" She sighed. "Well, I guess that means I'll have to try to be Vice President, if no one's taken the post yet. After all, you need someone to keep your feet on the ground, right?"

Quistis nodded. "You better be ready to put some pretty heavy weights on me, then. Once I show that smart-mouth brother of yours that I can be a good President, I'll probably grow wings and start flying."

* * *

><p>Quistis stepped down from the podium to an explosion of applause, her Estharian robes and graduation cap shining in the overhead lights, the gold sash around her right shoulder a symbol of her valedictorian status. She waved majestically to her personal fan section as they screamed their lungs out.<p>

Xu shook her head as the blonde sat next to her, in the front row of box seats, high above the stage and floor benches. "You're really something, you know that? Class President in eighth grade and now look at you." She smirked. "You think Nida's jealous enough now?"

Quistis laughed. "That was me just being angry at him way back then. You know my motives have changed." Still, she couldn't help but feel proud she'd proven him wrong five times over, as she'd won the position of President all through high school since her reign in eighth grade. Of course, it was president of the Student Council instead of just class, but she handled the job efficiently.

The cheers for her were proof of how well she'd done.

Xu broke her from her musings. "So… where are you going?"

"College, you mean?" Quistis nodded, convinced of her decision a long time ago. "I'm not going anywhere in Esthar."

Xu nodded. "Didn't think you would. This city… it's big, lots of people, lots of tech… but that's all they're about, just science and stuff. Sure, there's a mall, a nightclub, things to do that are fun… but you get tired of them after a while, y'know?"

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "You mean you're not going to school here either?"

Xu smiled. "You leave, I leave." She rolled her eyes, giving an exasperated sigh. "And so does my brother, since he wants to take care of me and shit. Probably gonna make my life hell forever."

Quistis placed a hand on Xu's right shoulder. "We both know he loves you. He just has a… unique way of showing it."

"Oh yeah, he's 'special' all right." Xu shook her head. "Anyways, where are you planning to go if not in Esthar? As much as I agree with your logic, this place does have the best schools in the world. I'm sure our folks would…"

"Okay, stop right there." Quistis squeezed Xu's shoulder for emphasis. "We have minds of our own. If we want to go somewhere else that we've thoroughly researched and is somewhere that has a more active social scene, then that choice should be exempt of anyone else's opinion." She turned toward the black-haired woman with a grin. "You know I'm right."

"You _always_ have to be right, don't you?" Xu chuckled and nodded her assent. "All right, I see your point. Where are we headed, then?"

Quistis's face took on a calculating expression. "Galbadia."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Prologue 3 — <strong>_**Prodigies**_

All right, there goes another one.

I found it very easy to set Quistis up. Hell, the game already did it for me; child prodigy, mentally gifted, youngest teacher to grace the Garden. Why not make her something like this? And Xu sticking around was definitely a bonus, because I got to write her as her best friend in the whole wide world.

Nida though, was a challenge. They didn't really make him do anything worth doing in the game, besides pilot the Garden. I had to give him some kind of personality aside from that, and that right there was why it took so long to write this. But still, good output, nice turnover rate for this one.

At least I think so.

Anyways! Thanks for the hits, guys! I sure do appreciate you reading this, even though LionHearts is much more exciting. Don't worry; I'll do the next chapter on that one before the month is over. Hell, if I'm lucky, maybe I'll throw out two-per-week, like I used to.

_This is your Slayer_.


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